Anyone else like the coffee Pod Systems?

[Nooner]

I have found that I do enjoy Keurig coffee, but it is VERY hit and miss... I dunno if it is water quality, or machine maintenance/cleaning - but when the stuff is bad, it is a horrible, when it is good, it is much better than anything you get at McDonalds, or any gas station.

I have pretty much decided that my next major coffee investment will be a good grinder and an espresso machine, followed by a roaster once I get the hang of the espresso machine.

But either way - I gotta get past christmas first...

[Cigar Jockey]

Also got the free senseo.
Just don't like the result.
Tried their dark roast and medium roast, bleech.
Also tried the maxwell house pods, bleech.

My main peeve w/ this model is it will only take certain height coffee cups.
Alot of the cups I have will not fit.

Which when I do have a cup that will fit the dbl pod brew leaves me no room to add milk as it fills right to the top with that crappy creme.

[bazookajoe]

I have a Keurig B60 and while it's very convenient and fast, the coffee isn't strong enough, even on the smallest cup setting. Instead of using the k-cups, I've found that the best way to brew a good cup is to grind your own coffee and use this re-usable filter in the Keurig brewer. Also, using bottled water keeps the flavor consistent and cuts down the need for cleaning.

[DudeGroovin]

I'm never used the pods. The closest thing to pods I've tried those coffee packs they're using in hotels now. It's usually Charsmuck$ brand in a giant pod-like paper thingy. You're supposed to put them in the provided micro-autodrip machine. They put two packs out (a regular and a decaf) and replenish when the room is cleaned.

I put both pod/packs in at once and cut the water in half. The result? Weak, flavorless (except for a faint ashy taste) semi-coffee. It's slightly better than nothing. A glass of water and Vivarin would probably be a more pleasant way for me to get caffeine.

I'll leave those packs and other prepackaged coffee systems on the shelf with the swisher sweets. Gimme the real deal!

[Nooner]

Originally Posted by bazookajoe

I have a Keurig B60 and while it's very convenient and fast, the coffee isn't strong enough, even on the smallest cup setting. Instead of using the k-cups, I've found that the best way to brew a good cup is to grind your own coffee and use this re-usable filter in the Keurig brewer. Also, using bottled water keeps the flavor consistent and cuts down the need for cleaning.

Ooo... now THAT looks like it may put the Keurig back in the game...

You have to do anything special to get your coffee to taste right? Grind, measurement, etc?

[bazookajoe]

Originally Posted by Nooner

Ooo... now THAT looks like it may put the Keurig back in the game...

You have to do anything special to get your coffee to taste right? Grind, measurement, etc?

I grind it fairly fine and get as much as I can in the filter, but the biggest factor of course is that you choose the coffee. I like Diedrich coffees which I can buy locally, in particular French Roast, Kenya and Morning Blend.

It's still not as good as a cup brewed slowly, but it's ready in 30 seconds so I'm able to drink it more often.

Diedrich has k-cups too, but again, just not strong enough. I don't know if there's less coffee or what the deal is.

[Mycroft]

Just found this coffee forum, I didn't realize it was down here until I saw Mister MaDuroo's signature line.

I use a Keurig B-40 at work (K-Cups), and a Bunn My Cafe at home (pods). I love the K-Cups for work with the lack of mess and cleanup, and the Bunn My Cafe is great for home. I also use the Bunn My Cafe to brew up hot water for hot chocolate and ramen noodles, too.

I usually just drink one cup at home, and then another at work, so making a single serving is great. The nitrogen filled coffee containers the roasters use seem to work in keeping the coffee fresh, to me.

I've found the forums over at SingleServeCoffee to be very good.

There are some good threads with recommendations over there. I like my coffee black, not a dark roast, and not overly strong, so I've benefitted from NDJollyMon's threads on pods and K-Cups. I do find that the Van Houtte Columbian K-Cup is one of my favorites, while he gives it three stars now, so YMMV, too.

[Dux]

I have the Krups HomeCafe Pod Brewing System , not a bad cup of coffee when you need it
If your in a rush and need a cup of coffee this is not a bad machine

[Swarth]

No I do not like the pod systems. After the quality of the beans freshness of roast is the next most important factor in a good cup of coffee. Pre ground and packaged? Yikes. Coffee is a living thing that undergoes a process of dynamic changes untill it's consumed. The peak times are from roast until perhaps 14 days depending on the bean and roast. The thing is each day the roasted beans change a little as they outgas CO2 and the oils start towards the surface of the bean. No packaging of any kind can stop this process. Some may slow it down but there is no substitute for freshness. When you grind the bean all those aromatic oils are released givning off that delicious scent. Then when the proper temperature water hits it the grind explodes in a volcano of bloom. The first smells of fresh brew hits your nostrils and you know that it is going to be a great day! For you timebots. I Get downstairs and turn on water kettle. Get beans from jar in cupboard, put in grinder. Set filter in Melita basket. Finish getting ready for work while kettle comes to a boil. Grind beans, put in filter, sprinkle water and wait 30 secs for bloom. Fill filter with water and brew. 1 minute later enjoy fresh hot coffee. Total time about 10 minutes, time spent on coffee prep 3-4 minutes. There is no excuse for a pod.

[Nooner]

Originally Posted by Nooner

I don't have the time or patience to roast, grind and brew - or even any of the above...

I have gotten over my lack of patience - once I found the patience, finding the time to brew coffee properly was easy.

I still enjoy the Flavia machines, but the Keurigs... not so much... and I mostly like the 'sweet' mix thingies... like when you mix coffee with hot cocoa outta those machines, but when I encounter a Keurig, I tend to do tea.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by Swarth

... There is no excuse for a pod.

LOL!

Not making any excuses, I enjoy my coffee from my Bunn My Cafe. I can appreciate that you might not, but don't be hatin' on those who do.

I probably like a different cigar than you, but I'm not making excuses for that, either.

[Swarth]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

LOL!

Not making any excuses, I enjoy my coffee from my Bunn My Cafe. I can appreciate that you might not, but don't be hatin' on those who do.

I probably like a different cigar than you, but I'm not making excuses for that, either.

Well some people do like White Owls and Dutch Masters, I don't. I'm certainly not going to drink POD coffee with a say Monte #4. So if you enjoy lifeless stale coffee, no problem. But just remember no matter where you go, there you are.

[Nooner]

Originally Posted by Swarth

Well some people do like White Owls and Dutch Masters, I don't. I'm certainly not going to drink POD coffee with a say Monte #4. So if you enjoy lifeless stale coffee, no problem. But just remember no matter where you go, there you are.

You don't have to drink POD Coffee with your MC#4 any more than I have to smoke a White Owl with my Espresso, but the rapid single serve coffee machines serve a purpose (btw - check out the origin of Espresso).

Snobbery doesn't flatter you!

[Swarth]

Originally Posted by Nooner

You don't have to drink POD Coffee with your MC#4 any more than I have to smoke a White Owl with my Espresso, but the rapid single serve coffee machines serve a purpose (btw - check out the origin of Espresso).

Snobbery doesn't flatter you!

What purpose it that? producing crappy coffee? I'm just comparing apples to apples. Pod is akin to White owls, Fresh to ISOM's no snobbery involved just quality.

please note extensive use of smiles, because you certainly can drink all the pod coffee you want. The question was whether you liked them or not. I do not and gave compelling reason that a discerning person would never use a pod, unless under duress then that might be Ok, or say on the field of battle, perhaps.

[volfan]

I lived in Sicily and Sardinia for quite some time in the 90s and developed a love for strong, fresh espresso. Fast-forward to now, I have a job that has me drinking hotel coffee 4 mornings out of 7 and airport coffee on the 5th morning. I had a Gaggia espresso machine and burr grinder but did not have the time to use it (grinding coffee only when I used it). Now I use a Gevalia pod coffee maker and gevalia pods and while the coffee is not as fresh as some places, it is better than 90% of the coffee I get on the road including most of the upscale places I stay. I do have to make it strong to enjoy it but it is still a lot better than most places.

I have a good friend that owns a coffee shop in Dawsonville, GA and he gets fresh roasted peruvian organic coffee in and it is head and shoulders above what I drink but not enough to make me spend the $25k that he has invested in his grinding and brewing system.

I drink pod coffee with NCs and CCs (including the aforementioned Monte#4) and am not ashamed of it...to each his own. But please do not confuse me with someone that does not know coffee.

scottie